


Back Up

by elletromil



Series: Nevermore alone [3]
Category: Altered Carbon (TV)
Genre: Ficlet, Gen, Implied Relationships, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 22:56:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17191847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elletromil/pseuds/elletromil
Summary: Kovacs doesn't need back up.





	Back Up

**Author's Note:**

> Another ficlet for Red because the lack for anything Altered Carbon is a shame

Kovacs doesn't need back up.

He'll take up with locals for efficiency’s sake, but he can do without if he's got no other choice.

But gathering information is something he can do on his own. No matter what Poe says about his sunny disposition making it easy for informants to double cross him. It's a risk he has always had to contend with. Being friendly to people he won’t see again won't change it.

The ten mercenaries that have backed him up in a dark alley would seem overkill for just one of him, but it just means whoever wants him dead is well-informed.

Not that he plans on dying here. If they are ten now, they started following him at eighteen. He just need a bit more time.

He aims, ignoring the pain in his bruised arm, but before he can fire, his target crumbles on the floor, quickly followed by the man right next to him.

He doesn't lower his guard however, even when the newcomer makes his way to him. There are still eight more mercenaries around and they're probably not the kind to be intimidated by Poe's big gun.

“Now gentlemen,” Poe speaks just loud enough that he can be heard from every dark corners, “I'm sorry, but we'll have to leave this party.”

“What are you doing?” Kovacs hisses between his teeth. Poe was supposed to wait for him on the ship.

“Oh my, collecting the bounty on your head of course.” He says it with an annoying cheer before grabbing Kovacs gun and firing over his shoulder three times in rapid succession. Behind him, Kovacs hear three tell-tale  _thud_. “Now gentlemen-” He twirls around again facing the entry of the alley, but his eyes are trained where Kovavs knows the five men left standing are hiding. “Please do the math, is the reward worth anything to you once you're dead? If so, do feel free to try your luck. If not, I've got places to be and I preferably need this man alive.”

Silence is his only answer and Poe shrugs, as if to say  _good enough_. He starts walking back towards the street and, considering he still got his gun, Kovacs has little choice but to follow him.

When they make it back to the crowd without Poe having to fire a single shot, it becomes clear that the last mercenaries decided to take Poe's second option. At least for the time being.

“Since when do you bluff?” It's not that Poe is incapable of lying. Simply that he sees no point in it.

“Who says I'm bluffing?” He steps closer to hand him back his gun, all grin and manic eyes he only gets when he's just had a chance to show off. “I figured we could do with some easy cash on hand and that you would prefer arriving alive and with all your limbs attached to the person who put a price on your head. It's the third time this month, you'll want to deal with it.”

He glares at Poe, but it barely had an effect when they first met, so it has even less of one now.

“Should we go straight away or do you need fixing up first?”

There had been a time when he wouldn’t even consider it. When he had had no other choice but to keep moving.

Now, he takes the time to assess his physical condition first. And grunts in displeasure.

“If you got someplace near, I could do with a fix-up. If not, we can go and deal with our latest problem.”

Poe says nothing, only grabs him by the wrist and starts leading him away in a different direction that they had been going in. Fixing him it is then.

Poe lets go once they stop in front of a building that looks like all the others. However, before he can move too far, it's Kovacs’ turn to make a grab for his hand, pressing his fingers in the only show of gratitude he'll allow himself.

He still doesn't need back up.

But he'd be a liar if he said he doesn't appreciate it.


End file.
